A 36-year-old DRG jawan (District Reserve Guard) was killed during an encounter with Maoists in the Abujhmad region of Chhattisgarh on Wednesday afternoon. The deceased, identified as Head Constable Birendra Kumar Sori, was part of a joint search operation by DRG and Border Security Force (BSF) personnel. The operation took place in the dense forests near Sonpur and Kokhametta, about 30 kilometres from Narayanpur headquarters when the forces came under fire around 1 pm.
Inspector General of Police (Bastar Range) Sundarraj P stated that the encounter involved intermittent firing between the Maoists and the security forces. During the exchange of fire, Sori sustained fatal injuries and died on the spot. Sori, a resident of Narharpur village in Kanker district—one of Bastar’s Maoist-affected regions—joined the Narayanpur Police in 2010. Due to his commendable services, he received an out-of-turn promotion to the rank of head constable in 2018.
Abujhmad also referred to as Maad, is a vast area of largely unsurveyed land, roughly larger than the state of Goa, predominantly located in Narayanpur district. The security forces have ramped up anti-Maoist operations in this area, leading to the killing of over 100 Maoists as part of the campaign. The incident underscores the persistent threat posed by Maoist insurgents in the region and highlights the sacrifices made by security personnel in ongoing operations against extremism.